When Howie Met Jessi, The Conclusion

Previously on “When Howie Met Jessi,” Howard mustered the strength he had and worked up the nerve to call Jessica. Much to his shock, Jessica picked up the phone. After an hour-long conversation, the two cornballs decided to meet up at Santa Monica Pier.

And now we continue with the conclusion of “When Howie Met Jessi.”

“Hot damn—my first date since… well, since…that long, eh?”

The last date Howard went on was around the time that he and Tina Stevenson were college sweethearts, and that was in 2003. Howard had been on a few dates since then, but gave up dating altogether when a girl played him for a fool. Howard forgave the jezebel for her chicanery, but he also got the chance to let her know what a deceitful witch she was. Of course, she didn’t like being called out on her wrongdoing, but Howard didn’t give a damn. Anyway, after that mess was put behind him, Howard learned the true meaning of love. He still had his family, friends, and church supporting him, and now he was ready to move on.

In preparation for his first date with Jessica, Howard prayed that he would have a great time and that Jessica would not be like the jezebel of the past. Then again, he was not about to let Jessica pay for something that she was not a part of. In spite of his nerves acting up, Howard was all smiles. This was his first date in a long time, and of all things, she was as big a wrestling fan as he was. The question remained: Would he and Jessica have anything else in common? As Howard thought about how he would converse with Jessica, he looked into his closet for his black and light blue baseball jersey.

“Dammit, must be in the cleaners!” he huffed.

Howard decided on his navy and gold baseball jersey, with match track pants and tennis shoes. The weatherman said that it would be a warm one, and Howard wanted to make sure that he was comfortable. After getting dressed, Howard said another prayer, and left to have a fun date.

Howard arrived at the Santa Monica Pier at 1:45 p.m. In his family, it was considered a sin to be late for anything. As he walked inside Beach Burgers, he told the hostess that he was expecting one more person. The hostess escorted Howard to a table that had a great ocean view. It was indeed a warm one, but Howard was under a canopy, and an ocean breeze blew by as well. As Howard listened to the music playing, he checked out the menu. Suddenly, a cute voice called out: “Hi, Howie—I’m here.”

That was Jessica’s voice, but when Howard looked up, he only saw a petite little lady in a form-fitting summer dress, and her hair was down to her shoulders. Howard couldn’t believe his eyes.

“Wowee… Jessi?”

“I know—I can clean up when I wanna, can I?”

The fact that Jessica was not wearing a baseball cap threw him off. However, she still had those sparkling grey eyes and that beautiful smile. Howard got up to pull out Jessica’s chair, then he sat down across from her.

The two cornballs really did have a lot in common. Howard explained that he would normally be chaperone to his sisters on a Saturday. Jessica explained to Howard that on any other Saturday, she would be babysitting her niece Victoria. When her family found out that she had a date, they were on the verge of throwing a party. Howard chuckled, then he explained to Jessica that he hadn’t been on a date in a while, and that he was very nervous.

“Awwwww, that’s so cute—a man admitting that he’s nervous,” Jessica smiled.

When time came to place their order, Jessica had a craving for a barbecue ranch chicken BLT with seasoned fries. Howard was about to order a cheeseburger, but decided to order the cheesesteak. As they were eating and conversing, a little girl cried out, “Mommy, Mommy—it’s Miss Dawn!” She had to have been no more than five years old, but she ran over to greet Jessica with a hug. Jessica cleaned her hands off and sat the little girl on her lap as Howard watched with a smile. Jessica then introduced the little girl and her mother to Howard. The little girl took a good look at Howard, then she turned to Jessica and said, “I like him—he’s cute.” Howard smiled and thanked the little girl.

“See you Monday, Miss Dawn. Bye!”

After the little girl and her mother left, Jessica told Howard about her job: she was the assistant director at the Children’s Center of Culver City, and she was also a tutor. She had been working there since her internship at UC Irvine. Jessica went on to explain that she wanted to make a difference in children’s lives, and that she absolutely adored children. Howard found that to be pretty evident, especially when Jessica shared that brief moment with one of her “little ones.” All while Jessica was talking, Howard was thinking to himself, “She’s into wrestling, she knows a good sandwich, and she loves kids—that’s quite alright right there. I wonder what kinda music she listens to.”

As soon as Howard asked himself that question, the next song inside Beach Burgers was “Nothin’ My Love Can’t Fix” by Joey Lawrence. At the precise same time, Howard and Jessica’s eyes lit up and they said, “Oh, no—not Joey Lawrence!” It was quite obvious by the other guests that Howard and Jessica loved this particular song, especially by the way they were dancing in their seats.

After their lunch, Howard and Jessica decided to walk along the pier and check out the sights. The sun was shining very brightly and the light ocean breeze brushed by so gently. For a moment, Howard and Jessica forgot about their own personal issues and just enjoyed one another’s company. As they continued to walk along the pier, they took into the relatively quiet atmosphere. In the distance, they heard a man on a guitar singing “Name” by the Goo Goo Dolls. Howard could tell that Jessica loved that song, and all it took was for him to notice how Jessica sang along as she tilted her head to her left. In turn, Jessica saw that Howard liked the song because he hit the air in time to the rhythm.

When their date ended, Howard walked Jessica to her car, as the sun began to set into the Pacific Ocean.

“I had a good time this afternoon, Howie,”

“As did I, Jessi—as did I.”

For a moment, they held hands… and then they hugged.

“Say a prayer for me at church tomorrow, Howie.”

“I shall, and you do the same for me.”


We hope you enjoyed "When Howie Met Jessi." Join us next week for another love story, here on Ms. Viv 'Nim.